Today's News - April 18, 2018

World News

After six decades of Castro rule, Cubans greet end of era with a shrug
The Guardian – Cubans greet end of the Castro era with indifference, not hope, as current vice-president Miguel Díaz-Canel is expected to replace Raúl

U.N. team fired on in Syria while visiting suspected chemical sites
Reuters – A U.N. security team came under fire in Syria while doing reconnaissance for inspectors to visit sites of a suspected chemical weapons attack, and officials said it was no longer clear when the inspectors would be able to go in.

Russia rejects UN resolution for independent Douma investigation
Al Jazeera – Russia’s UN ambassador says determining responsibility for chemical attack is futile since West already assigned blame.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

First Lady Barbara Bush Dies at Age 92
Barbara Bush, the former First Lady married to George H.W. Bush, has died today.
The Office of George H. W. Bush confirmed her death on Tuesday, saying in a statement, “A former First Lady of the United States of America and relentless proponent of family literacy, Barbara Pierce Bush passed away Tuesday, April 17, 2018 at the age of 92.
“She is survived by her husband of 73 years, President George H. W. Bush; five children and their spouses, 17 grandchildren, seven great grandchildren; and her brother Scott Pierce. She was preceded in death by her second child, Pauline ‘Robin’ Bush, and her siblings Martha Rafferty and James R. Pierce.”

Puerto Rico hit by island-wide blackout
Axios – Puerto Rico has been hit by an island-wide blackout, per the AP. The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority said that it could take 24 to 36 hours to restore power to everyone on the island, adding that it was prioritizing hospitals, San Juan’s international airport, water pumping stations, and hospitals.
Why it matters: This is the first time since last year’s Hurricane Maria that Puerto Rico has experienced an island-wide power failure, according to the AP, thanks to its still-unstable grid. In fact, prior to this outage, 40,000 Puerto Rican power customers still remained without power from Maria.

Senators leave classified briefing on Trump’s Syria policy ‘very unnerved
CNN – Lawmakers emerged from a classified administration briefing on Tuesday expressing concern about administration policy on Syria and the legal justification for last week’s military strikes against the regime of Bashar al-Assad.
“I am very unnerved by what I’m hearing and seeing,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, who said the briefing on the strikes from, Defense Secretary James Mattis and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford, made him more worried, not less. The administration is “going down a dangerous path” with regards to Syria, he said, without offering details.
Graham told reporters that the administration has no military strategy to counter Iranian and Russian influence and seems willing “to give Syria to Assad, Russia, and Iran.”
“I think Assad, after this strike, believes we’re all tweet and no action,” Graham said.

Pink Floyd Frontman Stops Concert To Explain False Flag Chemical Attack in Syria
Activist Post – During a solo concert this week in Barcelona, Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters took a moment to address the audience about the recent bombing of Syria. Waters said he was approached by someone before the concert who wanted to get onstage and speak on behalf of the White Helmets about the alleged chemical attacks in Douma.
Instead of bringing the anonymous man onstage, Waters addressed the crowd on the issue himself, saying that he believes the White Helmets are a propaganda organization on a mission to justify Western intervention in the region. Waters said he believes that the person who wanted to make a statement was well-intentioned, but misled, and then offered his opinion to the audience.

Durham Becomes First City in US to Ban Cops From Going to Israel for ‘Military-Style’ Training
The Free Thought Project – Cops across the country routinely participate in a program in which they travel to Israel to receive training in policing tactics. To prevent the militarization of their police force, the city of Durham has banned this practice.

No Joke: Judge Who Forced Cohen To ID Hannity Performed Soros Wedding
Infowars – The U.S. District judge who ordered Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen to identify Sean Hannity had officiated billionaire George Soros’ wedding in 2013.
Judge Kimba Wood officiated the “non-denominational” wedding between Soros and his third wife Tamiko Bolton in 2013 in Bedford, New York.
Suddenly, Wood’s decision to force Cohen to disclose his clients becomes clear.

DC Considers Allowing 16-Year-Olds to Vote
Infowars – A Washington D.C. council member introduced legislation last week that will allow 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in federal and local elections in 2020.
The council member, Charles Allen (D), says he got the idea after watching the “March For Our Lives” protests.
Just as liberals want to flood the U.S. with illegal immigrants who rely on the state and predominately vote Democrat, they also want to mobilize the tide pod generation to vote for them.
According to WUSA9, 16-year-old student Alex Shyer said, “We work, we pay taxes, we care for family members, we can drive, we can do so many other things. So, adding voting onto that isn’t going to be that big of a responsibility. We can handle it.”

Orange County City Votes Again to Opt Out of California’s Sanctuary State Law
Fox – A Southern California city council voted Monday for the second time to cement its opposition to the state’s sanctuary law following a tense 5-hour debate and clashes between anti-sanctuary measure supporters and protesters.
Los Alamitos Council members voted 4-1 to opt out of a state law that prohibited state and local police agencies from informing federal authorities in cases when illegal immigrants facing deportation are released from detention.

Eric Holder: ‘I’m Thinking About Running for President’
Newsmax – Former Attorney General Eric Holder confirmed Tuesday night that he considering a run for president in 2020.

Economy & Business

Kroger Details Plans to Use Trump Tax Cut Proceeds to Enhance Benefits, Wages
Infowars – The Kroger Co. on Monday outlined specifics of its plan to share a portion of the proceeds of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act with its employees.
The company has said that it would parcel up the windfall from the tax cuts, with about a third of the savings flowing to the bottom line and the rest being spent on technology initiatives and workers.

Energy, industrial stocks lift Wall Street, IBM drags
Reuters – Wall Street edged higher in a volatile session on Wednesday as industrial stocks gained on strong results from some marquee companies and a jump in oil prices boosted energy stocks.

Energy & Environment

US Getting an Earthquake Warning System
Newsmax – The United States will soon have its own earthquake early warning system, thanks to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and its partners, Slate reports.

Science & Technology

Scientists think these meteorite diamonds formed on a long-lost planet
Endgaget – Scientists studying a meteorite fragment that fell to Earth in 2008 have found evidence that suggests it may have originated from a Mercury-sized planet that no longer exists. The makeup of a meteorite — the elements it contains, what ratios they’re in — can usually point us to where it came from, like say the moon or Mars. But there are a set of meteorites, including the one collected in 2008, that have no known origin, appearing to be from a planetary body that has since been destroyed and purged from our solar system. “These samples are coming from an era that we don’t have any access to,” Farhang Nabiei, a researcher on the project, told The Washington Post.

Lessons learned using robotic arm in space now being applied to the hospital surgery room
Science News – Many present-day conveniences are rooted in once-exclusive space industry innovations. As it turns out, the same can also apply to certain types of high-level medical equipment. Back in the 1980s, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) came up with Canadarm, a robotic manipulation system that was designed to be used in zero gravity environments. Over the decades its core technology has been improved over and over again, and now it serves as the basis for a number of different medical spin-offs.
In 2013, a company called Synaptive Medical worked with a contractor called Maxar Technologies (which was formerly known as MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates or MDA), and the result of their collaboration was one spin-off version of Canadarm that they called the BrightMatter Drive. Some time later, a newer version of it called Modus V came out. And according to the CSA, this technology is used in a total of 30 different hospitals across North America today.
According to Gavin Britz, the chairman of neurosurgery at the Houston Methodist Hospital, he understood just how useful these kinds of technologies can be after having the chance to use them. “What this arm does is it follows you and it tracks you,” he said. “It speeds up efficiency.”

Health

Horrific ‘Flesh-Eating’ Disease Invades Australia
Newsmax – An infectious disease which causes severe lesions and deformities on the human skin is sweeping Australia.
Scientists say they are worried about – and unable to explain – the spread of the Buruli ulcer, the so-called “flesh-eating disease” that usually occurs in West and central Africa.

Beets May Help Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease
Mercola – Research suggests beets may be a powerful ally in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease, decreasing damaging oxidation of neurons by as much as 90 percent. Beets also fight inflammation, lower blood pressure, help you detoxify, lower your risk for heart failure and stroke, and improve brain neuroplasticity

Infrared Light and Saunas: Healing Many Illnesses
Health Impact News – Infrared energy frequency applications offer deeper heat penetration into body tissue with less heat, reducing ambient heat from the 160 degrees F of conventional saunas to 110 degrees. Infrared radiation is able to penetrate human tissue three inches, less or more, without burning or discomfort.
Generally, around 15 to 30 minutes inside an infrared radiation sauna is sufficient to achieve the maximum expected results of conventional dry or wet saunas that require enduring higher temperatures for considerably longer times.
Mayo Clinic’s Dr. Brent Bauer reports:
The appeal of saunas, in general, is that they cause reactions, such as vigorous sweating and increased heart rate, similar to those elicited by moderate exercise. An infrared sauna produces these results at lower temperatures than does a regular sauna, which makes it accessible to people who can’t tolerate the heat of a conventional sauna.
Infrared saunas offer general benefits capable of creating: